Electrical attachment for self-playing musical instruments.



A. M. STELNERT. ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT FOR SELF PLAYING MUSIC'AL msmumems.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. '2. I914- 1 ,217,3-58. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

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ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12. 1914.

1,217,358. V Patented Feb. 21, 1917.

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ALBERT M'. STEINEBT, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT FOR SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application filed December 12, 1914. Serial No. 876,709.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT M. STEINERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Attachments for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This. invention relates to attachments for instruments in which a perforated music sheet is used, such as player pianos, and is purposed to provide means cooperating with the traveling sheet over the tracker bar for operating drums or other auxiliary musical instruments as an accompaniment to the player instrument in contradistinction to the playing of the same composition of music upon a multiplicity of instruments in unison; to render such means adaptable to attachment to the player instrument without alteration of the structure or mechanism of the latter; to facilitate the temporary removal of said means when it is desired' to rewind the music sheet; tovary the volume of sound of the auxiliary instruments at will, and to check the action of the latter at any instant during their operation; and to have the connections and operative means of the auxiliary instruments exclusively electrical and nonneumatic in operation, whereby the sound of the auxiliary instruments is direct, instantaneous, and in rhythm with that of the player instrument.

To the above ends essentially my invention consists in such of parts as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings -which form a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views,

Figure 1 1s a front elevation of the tracker mechanism and the upper portion of a piano player, showing the electrical part of the.

present invention in diagram.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the contacts and associated parts.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

, 50. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the circuit contacts in engagement with the tracker bar.

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the contacts out of en agement with the tracker bar. Fig. 6 is a ront elevation of a portion of the note sheet with the contacts applied thereto.

arts and combinations.-

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view'showing the mapner in which the contacts are attached, an

Fig. 9 is a detail view of the magnet employed to beat the bass drum.

In the drawings 1 represents the casing, 2 the keys, 3 the tracker frame, 4 the tracker bar, 5 the note sheet, and 6 and 7 the note sheet rolls of a player piano, the tracker bar being of metal or other electrically conductive material.

Clamped to one side of the tracker frame 3 by means of the set screw 9 is a block 10, and pivoted to said block by the pivot pin 11 is a pair of blocks 12 of insulating material, the block 10 being preferably bifurcated at 14, and the pivot pin 11 passing through alined perforations 15 in the bifurcated end of the block 10.

Secured to'the outer end 17 of the block 10 is a spring 18 which spring extends around the block 10 to the inner end thereof and engages the pivoted blocks 12 for a purpose hereinafter set forth. In the present instance I have chosen to show two of such springs, as seen in Figs. 2 and 6, which, in practice, may be found preferable.

The free ends of the blocks 12 are provided with holes 21 (Fig. 8), and secured therein by the set screws 22 are forwardly projecting arms 23, said arms being adapted to extend over the note sheet in its passage over the tracker bar 4.

Suitably secured to the outer end of each of the forwardly projecting arms 23 is an arm 25'which extends in a plane at right angles thereto, and has on the free end there ofa contact 26, in the present instance rotatably mounted. One of the arms 23, the upper arm, is longer than the other for the purpose of maintaining the contacts 26 out of alinement.

The usual roll reversing mechanism co1n-. prises the shafts 28 and 29 of the rolls 6 and 7 respectively, and the reversing shaft 31, carrying wheel 32 driven through chain 33 from wheel 34 on the power shaft Wheels 37 and 38 on shafts 29 and 31 re spectively are connected by a chain 40. The numerals l1 and 42 refn'esent the connected slidable pinion and clutch sleeve respectively horizontal operating lever 54 mounted on the casing and having a handle 55.

The operation of the described mechanism 'whereby the Vibration of the lever 54 reciprocates the shifter bar 50 and shifter lever 46 to reverse the rotation of the roll shaftsis well known.

' Attached to or integral with the rod 50 or lever 46 is a rod or bar 57 connected to one leg 58 of the bell crankdeve'r 59 pivoted at 60 to the casing. Pivoted to the other leg 61 of the lever is a vertical rod 62 passing through a guide 63 in the frame and having right angular extension 64, from which extends a portion 65 parallel to the body portion of the rod 62. Branching off from the portion 65 at an angle thereto is a V-shaped extension 67 best seen in Figs. 4 and 5 which angular extension passes between the spring pressed blocks 12 and the tracker to rock the same on their pivot 11 and disengage the contacts 26 thereof from the note sheet.

Referring to Fig. 1 the reference numeral 69 indicates an electro-magnet, the armature 71 of which carries a vertical rod 7 3 engaging a plate 74 pivoted adjacent the drum. On said plate is the beating arm 76 of a bass drum 77. Attached to the beating arm 76 is an arm 79 which is adapted to engage the cymbals 80 upon each operation of the magnet. The magnet 69 in this instance is of the single action type.

A snare drum 87 has a sounding means that consists'of a plurality of spring arms 82 actuated by the conventional form of electric buzzer 83.

Located on the piano casing, preferably adjacent the keys, is a rheostat comprising, in this instance, the coils 85 and 86, and the lever 88. A wire extends from the latter to a battery 91, and thence a wire 92 is tapped into a wire 93 connecting the buzzer 83 and the magnet 69. A wire 95 extends from the latter to a relay switch 97 and from this switch is a wire 98 terminating in the rheostat coil 85. A wire 99 extends from the buzzer to the relay switch 100, and thence a wire 101 leads to rheostat coil 86. By virtue of the described circuit or parallel circuits which include the auxiliary musical instruments and the rheostat, the drums may be instantly silenced when the rheostat lever is in extreme left position, or the sound of the instruments will be gradually intensified by swinging the lever 88 to.the right to cutout the resistance of the successive coils.

The magnets 102 and 103 of the bass drum I switch 97 and snare drum switch respectively are in the following circuits. Leading from a battery 105 to a binding screw 106 on the tracker bar 4 is a wire 107. From the battery leads a wire 108 which forms the coil 109 of the magnet 103 and extends to the screw 22 of the upper contact. Tapped into the wire 108 is a wire 111 forming the coil 112 of magnet 102, and leading to the lower binding screw 22, see Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The employment of a relay circuit including an additional battery 91 is found advantageous in relieving the circuit of battery 105 whereby the danger of sparking is avoided at the contacts 26.

The note sheet 5 passes over rolls 6 and 7 and is provided with two parallel sets of perforations 114 and 115 passing beneath each of the contacts 26, whereby it will be seen that as the perforations pass under the contacts, the latter are permitted to contact with the tracker to complete the circuit to either the snare drum or base drum operatmanipulation of the operating lever 54.-

This movement shifts the lever 46 to carry the pinion 41 out of engagement with the gear 44 and the winding operation discontinues. By the same movement of the rod 50 the beveled end or part 67 of the rod 62 is upwardly moved, forcing the blocks 12 out wardly and their contacts out of engagement with the tracker bar and sheet. If desired the contacts may be thrown out of engagement by manually grasping the blocks 12.

It will be understood that any usual convenient source of electrical power other than batteries may be employed for energizing the circuits; also, that, in lieu of being made wholly of metal, the tracker bar may have only such portions of metal as to form points of engagement for the contacts, and for a metallic connection with the contact screw.

It is obvious that man changes in details of construction within tiie spirit of my invention ma be made. The description of the device as been given in detail merely for clearness of understanding and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom.

Having thus described in invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent In combination with a conductive trackerbar of a self-playing instrument, an auxiliary percussive muslcal instrument, a pivotally mounted contact for engagement with In testimony whereof I have signed my the conductive portion of the trackerbar name to this specification in the presence of through a perforation in a note sheet, wholly two subscribing Witnesses.

electrical connections between said auxiliary ALBERT M. STEINERT. instrument and said contact and a WedgelVitnesses: shaped member movable to raise said con- ADA E. HAGERTY,

tact out of engagement with the note sheet. J z A. MILLER. 

